MPGH News (10/11/13)

**[MPGH]Psychotic** · 10-12-2013

41st Edition
10/11/13

Nothing really happened this week. Come back next week to see if anything headline worthy has appeared.

MPGH News will also start to be doing 2 interviews/week again, instead of 1 as we had resorted to about 5 editions ago.

User News

- Battlefield minion applications have opened up! : https://www.mpgh.net/forum/634-battle...-required.html
- Call of Duty minion applications have opened up! If you have a strong interest in Call of Duty and you are wishing to moderate for the Call of Duty section, apply here.
- Donate to MPGH today! You can donate via Amazon Gift Card or through PayPal!

Postbans

Congratulations to @Mr Allen for achieving 7,000 posts!
Congratulations to @Hero for achieving 26,000 posts!
Congratulations to @Gloo for achieving 3,000 posts!
Congratulations to @BurningAshes for achieving 1,337 posts!
Congratulations to @Thunder for achieving 12,000 posts!
Congratulations to @Ecstasy for achieving 17,000 posts!
Congratulations to @HeroicXPharaoh for achieving 1,337 posts!
Congratulations to @Predatør for achieving 4,000 posts!

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to @InHuman !
Happy Birthday to @Chicken. !

Demotions/Resignations

@Royce is no longer a wiki manager.

Interview - Dakota

Interview - Snape

GTA 5 Allegedly Coming to PC in Spring 2014

An anonymous source mentioned to Eurogamer that GTA5 is on its way to PC. Though Rockstar never made an official statement, Intel has also confirmed that GTA5 "will not be a console exclusive very long" and Nvidia even expected the game to come out this fall.
While the GTA5 on PC Petition has almost 600k signatures, console gamers dislike the idea due to PC piracy, even though console versions have been available on TPB since release day. This is why I hate console players; you can pirate on consoles too. Stealing games isn't a PC exclusive thing you fucks.

Might and Magic X - Legacy DLC

Ubisoft announced the very first update to the latest Might and Magic, which is currently in open beta right now. The update comes with "tune-ups" from day to night and a very first item comparator.

It also comes with four new classes: Scout, Druid, Mercenary, and Shaman.
Don't ask me why I chose the UK version instead of the American version. I wouldn't be able to answer you. Also this actually looks pretty nifty. I may or may not get it.

Need For Speed: Rivals Questions being answered by Ghost

A few days ago, Ghost answered some questions about Racer Progression alongside some other questions.

Q: Are personalisation items bought or earned through progression?
A: You can personalise your car from the very beginning of the game by changing the color, rims and license plate as a Racer. Once we get your car looking the way you like, you will then have to earn and use your Speed Points to purchase different stripes, decals, liveries, pursuit tech and performance upgrades. As you progress through the game, you will unlock more and more supercars as well as liveries to purchase from.

Q: Is there a progression cap? (like in Hot Pursuit)
A: Yes, but this works in a couple different ways. First and foremost you have two distinct careers to play through in the game – Cop and Racer. Within each career there are three sets of Assignments (Cops) or Speedlists (Racers) that will progress you through the narrative. While the narrative helps push you through the game, how you pick your Assignments and Speedlists is totally up to you. As a Cop, your Assignments differ by Patrol, Enforcer and Undercover, and as a mysterious Racer named Zephyr you’ll complete different Race, Pursuit and Drive Speedlists, and drawing the attention of the police force while you’re at it. After completing the narrative you can then go back and complete the other Assignments and Speedlists that you haven’t attempted yet.

Q: Outside of playing with friends, what about Need for Speed Rivals provides replay value?
A: There’s tons of replay in Need for Speed Rivals. Beyond the two different career paths and narratives associated with each, the game tracks your max speed and jump distances on different roads. Also, for the first time, the game will track how long it takes for you to complete a whole set of objectives (Assignments and Speedlists) so that you can constantly challenge yourself to get better. Of course, it’s more fun to compare with your times against your friends, but it’s not required.

Q: Exactly how big is the map? Can players easily memorise it like in Most Wanted?
A: The world of Redview County is bigger than Most Wanted and well over 100 miles (16X16 km) of open roads. It is a place designed specifically for driving in the world’s best cars at speeds over 200mph. There are also different shortcuts not shown on the map for you to find.

Q: How can we unlock cars and racer tech at the same time, and what happens if we already have the fastest cars and best tech?
A: You will unlock new cars every time you complete a Speedlist or Assignment and head back to your Safe House or Hideout. After you unlock a car, you can then purchase it with your SpeedPoints. Pursuit tech on the other hand is all unlocked from the beginning, but you do need SpeedPoints to buy them. But, as you progress through the game you will unlock higher levels of each tech.

Q: I don't have any real friends who play NFS, will I be able to play online for the fastest time for leaderboards? I would like to have something like a top 1 million leaderboard so that I can see where my time stands
A: In Need for Speed Rivals with the power of Autolog we can recommend friends based on your location. You can compare with people in your location and compete with their times on your Speedwalls both in game and on the Need for Speed Network.

source: gamebanan*****m

Steam's Controller Demonstration 001

Brazil demands Canada explain spying allegations

Brazil demanded answers on Monday following allegations of OTTAWA(A Canadian Security Company), using Eavesdropping material to attempt a sophisticated spy operation against the South American country’s ministry of mines and energy.

Dilma Rousseff the Brazilian President accused OTTAWA(A Canadian Security Company) of engaging in industrial espionage. Brazil then targeted the Canadian Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski, demanding explanations of OTTAWA's actions.

The television report said indexing details of phone calls and emails from and to the ministry were targeted by the Canadian agency to map the ministry’s communications.

The report was based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, a former contractor with the NSA.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper would neither confirm nor deny the allegations when asked to respond to the report late Sunday night.

During Monday’s meeting, the Brazilian Foreign Minister expressed “the government’s repudiation of this serious and unacceptable violation of national sovereignty and the rights of people and companies.”

Canadian officials were uniformly tight-lipped.

Speaking last month to the United Nations General Assembly, Rousseff called for international regulations that would govern data privacy and limit espionage programs targeting the Internet.

Former Penn State president denies covering up sex abuse complaints

A former Penn State president fighting charges he helped cover up child sex abuse complaints about ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky wants a judge to force prosecutors to release documents to him.

Graham Spanier’s lawyers Friday filed a pretrial discovery motion saying they were unable to get the material from the state attorney general’s office despite several requests.

They also say a judge has agreed to hold a hearing on issues related to the university’s then-chief lawyer, Cynthia Baldwin, who accompanied Spanier and two other administrators to grand jury appearances.

Prosecutors say Spanier will get discovery materials this week.

Spanier faces charges of perjury, conspiracy, obstruction, failure to report suspected abuse and endangering the welfare of children. He denies the allegations. Sandusky was convicted of abuse but says he’s innocent.

Obama’s Asia summit no-show: How it looks from over there

When President Barack Obama announced that he was canceling his trip to Asia due to the US government shutdown, commentators reacted as if he had said that America was giving up, going home, and abandoning its Asian friends and allies to China.

Brazilian analyst Pepe Escobar compared China’s "offensive" in Southeast Asia to “an accelerating Lamborghini Aventador,” in contrast to America’s “creaking Chevrolet.”

And while it’s disappointing that Obama will not be appearing in person to the make the case for US interests — particularly the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership, a massive free-trade deal — is his absence really enough to change America's position in the region?

Here is one reason it won't

America’s stock has risen markedly in East and Southeast Asia over the last several years. As China’s power has grown, and Beijing has become increasingly assertive in its claims over the South China Sea, neighbors have turned more to the United States as a counterbalance. Edward Luttwak, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sees this as a logical response to China’s continuing military and economic growth.

As concerns about China’s disproportionate economic and military clout are unlikely to go away, most Asian countries will continue to seek closer American ties.

But for the moment, the reality is that US military and economic involvement in Asia is growing, and America's allies understand that.

Missing one trip is no catastrophe, but it is a setback.

"China has not scored a touchdown. Obama can recover the Asian engagement ball and go back on the offensive.”

Leaked iPad 5 Photos

It seems it’s time again for the Apple fanboys to come crawling out of the woodwork,
as numerous high-res images of the brand new iPad 5 have now been leaked.

Here we see the new generation iPad 5 (left), in contrast with the new iPad Mini 2 (right):

In this photo we see the new slimmer design, more akin to last generation’s iPad Minis:

It also seems that Apple are striving for a boxier design than previous iPad incarnations, as seen here:

With iOS7 adding many features similar to Android, and the new iPad’s having a slimmer and boxier design,
are Apple catering to the Android market? As seen in the images though, the next generations are still without
expansion slots of any assortment, and retain the fixed battery design. In my personal opinion,
I don’t see much innovation in the design, only a slimmer edge. What does MPGH think?

More information and the rest of the gallery can be found here:
A Detailed Hands-On Look at Apple's 5th-Gen iPad Design in Space Grey!

source: cnet, sonnydickson

iStruct The Robotic Ape
What may seem like an impossible feat has now been accomplished:
A fully articulated robot capable of reacting fully with its environment. Enter iStruct, the robotic Ape.

Created by the ‘German Research Centre For Artificial Intelligence’, or DFKI (German),
iStruct was originally an experimental prototype for skeletal robotics, based around space exploration.
With a fully functioning mechanical spine, iStruct is capable of a much wider range of motion and balance
than previous robotic tests. With multi-point foot contacts, and over 50 sensors analyzing pressure, angle,
distance, and even temperature,IStruct is capable of changing its stance according to the surface on which it stands.
The prototype spinal column also allows the bot to adjust its upper body weight for even further balancing
capabilities,and even functions as a torque sensor.

The live feedback and adjustments easily allow iStruct to transition from Quadrupedal movement to Bipedal and back.

iStruct’s impressive balancing abilities.

So is the robot apocalypse finally upon us?
With robotics and artificial intelligence progressing at an absolutely alarming rate, could we see robots indistinguishable from living organisms? It's impossible to know, but iStruct is clearly a step in the right direction. What does MPGH think about robotics?

source: Slashgear

MPGH News Team